Dear Fellow Parishioners, On our parish Facebook page, we have a logo that says, “Rethink Church.” That too is the call of Pope Francis as he asks us to share our hopes and dreams for the church as he invites us to share them through the Synod on Synodality. Pope Francis initiated a synodal journey of the whole People of God, beginning in each local Church and culminating in the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, in October 2024. The theme of this Synod is about the very nature of the Church, the specific way of living and operating as a Church together. We gathered our parish information through a Zoom meeting that all were invited to attend in 2022. Our reflections were sent to the Diocese. That Diocesan report was sent along with all the other 194 (arch)diocesan reports to the Papal Nuncio in Washington D.C. The final report from our country can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/resources/US%20National%20Synthesis%202021-2023%20Synod.pdf In the meantime, we are gaining the skills we need to “Rethink Church” as seven of us attend the Parish Renewal program “Unlocked” at St. Mary’s in Uxbridge, this Thursday June 22. It is an all-day event. I ask your prayers for those of us attending: Coming with me are Pam Chaplin, Tina Buckley, Kevin Maldarelli, Gerard Crepeau, Mike Lenart, and Dee Russell. I thank them all for coming forward and giving up a full day to help us re-vision and renew our parish. No one likes to change. When we get comfortable, we like to stay in our comfort zone, and believe me the older I get the more difficult it is to change. Changing the way we “do church” can be intimidating. Prioritizing mission over maintenance can feel scary, but it is something that is so very necessary for all parishes. Fortunately, we have seven of us who want to gain the skills to assist in leading the parish toward a new and wonderful future, guided by the Holy Spirit and the very gifts, skills, and talents that we all share here in our community. If anyone else wants to attend this workshop, please let me know and if there is still room, I would be happy to get you registered. So, please pray for our team as we prepare to work together as a community of faith! Happy Father’s Day Week to all our fathers, we will have a special blessing for all dads present at Mass this weekend.
Fr. Bill